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Elisabeth Ballermann, Secretary-Treasurer

Elisabeth Ballermann was acclaimed as the Secretary-Treasurer of NUPGE at its June 2016 Convention.

She has been a labour activist most of her working life.

From 1995 to 2016, Ballermann was President of Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), the NUPGE Component that represents over 24,000 health professionals in more than 200 occupations. In 2003, under her leadership, her home union, HSAA, joined NUPGE and the House of Labour, and has become a highly respected participant in Alberta’s labour and progressive communities.

In addition to fulfilling the mandate of advocating for excellent wages, benefits, workplace safety, general working conditions and work-life balance for union members, she has been a staunch advocate for social justice and the public health system.

Ballermann served as a Vice-President of both the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and NUPGE, as well as a board member of the Parkland Institute, Friends of Medicare (Alberta), and Public Interest Alberta (PIA). She has been the co-chair of the Canadian Health Professionals Secretariat (CHPS) for almost 10 years.

Elisabeth earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy in 1980 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1991, both from the University of Alberta.

Her work has been recognized with several awards, including the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Alberta Federation of Labour’s International Women’s Day Award (2008) and May Day Solidarity (2016) Award, and the 2016 PIA Public Interest Award. She also served on Alberta's Premier's Advisory Committee on the Economy from October 2015 to December 2017.

Outside her working commitments, she has served on a number of volunteer boards and has actively participated in the political process, both as a volunteer and as a candidate for the provincial legislature.